


Draco's Floating Mansion

by SmallSherbert



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Howl's Moving Castle Fusion, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Divergence - Post-Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Good Draco Malfoy, Minor Character Death, draco as howl, theo as calcifer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:13:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29928426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmallSherbert/pseuds/SmallSherbert
Summary: 24 June 1995 did not go as planned, Voldemort did not return. His resurrection ceremony unsuccessful.Motivated by this failure, the remaining Death Eaters regrouped with Bellatrix at the helm. War wages in the Wizarding World.Inspired by the incredible work that is Howl’s Moving Castle by Studio Ghibli, this is canon divergent from GOF onward.The story starts post-Hogwarts. There will be some angst, plenty of sass, mostly fluffy and, hopefully, as fun to read as it has been to write.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Draco's Floating Mansion

The world was a bleak limbo in the midst of war. It had been, what felt like a lifetime since Hermione lay sprawled on the grounds of Hogwarts, surrounded by friends, basking in rays of sunshine that permeated deep into her bones. Adolescence had been fleeting and the troubles of adulthood stretched for an eternity before her.

Trouble gazed back in everything Hermione lay her eyes on. Abandoned store fronts, newly constructed Wizarding towns and numerous missing posters – the new décor that littered wizard and muggle streets alike. Proficiency at occluding kept Hermione grounded and maintained her edge in combat and in strategy meetings.

It would not do to fail The Order now.

Not that it bloody mattered.

Hermione had been reassigned to assist Mrs Weasley with specialist manufacturing at Madam Malkin’s. The Order now created and sold protective garments through Madam Malkin’s store front, this served mostly as a defensive measure for The Order and a preventative measure for the general Wizarding public. Many Order members now moonlighted in pedestrian roles to uphold a sense of normality. With Madam Malkin on business in France, Mrs Weasley had been appointed in charge of the production.

Sitting on her work bench, closest to the arching windows, Hermione’s keen eye followed her charm movements determining accuracy, weaving her vine wand with finesse. Hermione Granger had been benched to daytime shifts after the announcement of Teddy Lupin’s disappearance wreaked havoc with her magic.

A recent branch of theoretical study, backed by the Ministry, discovered that a person’s emotions were closely linked with individual magical cores, meaning occasions of trauma caused temporary imbalances. In the rarest of cases, prolonged and repeated trauma resulted in long term imbalance to a person’s magical core. St Mungo’s opened a hospital wing dedicated to the recovery of magical cores. With battles a daily occurrence, and disappearances increasing, the demand for rehabilitation in the wake of trauma became essential to survival. Neville’s parents were admitted as the earliest cohort of patients with Neville reallocated to inactive duty shortly after. The reason given; Neville was to supervise their recovery. Hermione called it what she saw it– bullshit.

Hermione vehemently against being reassigned to inactive duty, voiced her protests to deaf ears. Shacklebolt, Moody and McGonagall were firm in their decision that she be subject to a stay of leave to compartmentalise. The higher-ranking members of The Order were keen not to lose their best fighters by pushing them behind reasonable limits. Reasonable limits included sending Lee Jordan head over broomstick during aerial observations and blasting Seamus Finnegan into a shop front in a 3am scouting mission.

Accidental magic was uncommon in adults and two instances from Hermione was more than enough to raise concern.

The truth, Hermione was skittish like a new-born foal from the day the news broke that Ron had vanished. From his own bed. No trace, not even a ransom. Hermione had taken Ron’s disappearance poorly, throwing herself into every mission available. When she was not on duty, she frequented Andromeda’s safe house for orphans. Hermione brought toys, told stories in the afterglow of evening fires and tutored Teddy Lupin.

Teddy, not an orphan of war, just unlucky to be born to two of the highest ranking auror’s in The Order. Tonks and Lupin were bound to international missions, leaving Teddy to grow up in the care of his Grandmother. Andromeda, sweet Andromeda, never complained; she adored the little boy. He filled the gap in her heart that grief carved with the death of her husband – Ted Tonks. Teddy, the first child born to members of The Order, ensnared the heart of anyone who met him.

Little Teddy Lupin inherited fierceness from his mother, mischievousness from his Father and sharp wit from his Grandmother. Teddy reminded Hermione of why she chose to fight.

There were no words to describe the emotions that engulfed Hermione when she apparated to the safe house days before, finding chaos before her. Fire had ravaged what was once a splendid house, there was nothing salvageable as ashes rained down thick like snow. She recalled falling to her knees, mouth open with a scream held captive in her lungs.

Almost all charges were swiftly accounted for, safely confined in the strongest protection circle Hermione had ever seen, everyone bar Andromeda and Teddy.

Andromeda’s body would later be discovered in a clearing half a mile to the west of the safe house.

Little Teddy Lupin continued to be classified as missing.

His missing poster placed right beside Ron’s.

The call of Mrs Weasley drew Hermione from her musing. “Hermione, dear. The shop is closed, will you be joining us this evening? We are going for drinks at the Leaky Cauldron.”

Gazing at the floral fascinator in her open palm, Hermione contemplated sodding it all off to have one too many shots of fire whisky.

“No Mrs Weasley.” She spoke, with a sigh. “I have another three of these bloody fascinators to finish by sunrise.”

Having already guessed that Hermione would refuse, Mrs Weasley was halfway out the door with the other shop girls in tow.

A collective gasp caused Hermione to jump, dropping the fascinator to the floor, wand poised. She was unable to see the cause of their fright. They were frozen, staring up into the sky, jaws agape.

“It’s _the_ mansion.” Padma said, “His floating mansion.”

“I’ve never seen it before. My, it’s ginormous.” Exclaimed Mrs Weasley, clutching at her chest.

Hermione could not help the roll of her eyes.

There had been whispers, in-between war stories, of a new Wizarding phenomenon: the floating mansion. Since the summer of 1997 were reports of sporadic sightings, claiming a floating castle haunted the high valleys of Scotland. Auror teams were dispatched to towns and cities in response to each new sighting.

Gawain Robards confirmed an official sighting in the autumn. Robards, undercover in the Isle of Wight, apparated directly into the home of Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour in a flurry of panic detailing all he had seen.

The announcement of the mansion owner plunged the wizarding world into a frenzy.

Malfoy. Draco Malfoy.

The once troubled boy, now turned man, returned from the dead. At least that is how The Daily Prophet painted it. Draco Malfoy, orphaned before the war had truly started, was a known recluse.

Stories of the Malfoy family scattered the pages of The Prophet since the uprisings began. Lucius Malfoy sent to Azkaban indefinitely, for inciting hatred and for the endangerment of muggles in their 5th year was later found murdered in a tiny Azkaban cell following the escape of a handful of high-ranking death eaters. According to the rumour mill, Malfoy senior was executed by his own side.

The announcement of Narcissa’s death was published in The Prophet shortly after with claims she died of a broken heart.

As the uprisings began, many suspected, Harry included, that Draco would take a top-ranking position under the tutelage of his deranged Aunt Bellatrix, to accomplish that which Voldemort couldn’t. Malfoy had been hounded in the corridors of Hogwarts; constant hexes thrown his way. He handled the harassment in a way that surprised all – silently, with dignity. Until one day he didn’t.

At the tender age of 16, Draco Malfoy vanished – failing to return from a Hogsmeade trip – taking Malfoy Manor with him. Quite literally.

The land on which Malfoy Manor once stood had been obliterated. Some sources insinuated a self-inflicted fire devastated the estate. More insidious rumours suggested that Malfoy Jnr suffered the sins of his father, executed by Bellatrix's wand.

That had been two years ago, when Bellatrix and her merry band of death eaters were considered only an inconvenience to the Ministry.

Dark rumours still lingered around the name Draco Malfoy. Aurors were unable to broach the wards which surrounded his floating mansion. No magical history accounted for Malfoy and his mansion to be able to glide amongst the clouds. Most wagered that it was dark magic. Rumours he ate the hearts of pure maidens for sustenance were the most prominent.

“Don’t worry he only preys on pretty girls.” Susan joked, elbowing Padma.

The door closed behind them, charmed to lock and ward automatically, leaving Hermione to ruminate on floating mansions and platinum locks.

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter down! I've rewritten this a thousand times and can only pray it sets up the story and universe the way I hope.
> 
> As always, no beta. All mistakes are my own.


End file.
